Take this here rain check

Good morning to you all! It's very early for me... 4:00am. Some silly reason I've been waking up this time early every day this week. Let me state– THIS NEVER EVER HAPPENS. I heart sleeping. Make that a gigantic heart. Ok, so I've been pretty terrible about updating this blog. Eek! Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? I really need to kick myself in the rear. It even has been perfect blogging weather...rainy. Bleh, I am pretty tired of this stinking hard core rain we have been having in Portland. Well, I don't hate it completely. I love having my apartment windows open. Hearing the pitter-patter is nice. And so is the smell. Mmmm. But I am yearning for a little Vitamin D and bicycling that doesn't involve soggy skinny jeans.

For some odd reason the rain has gotten me thinking of "David the Gnome". If you were a child in the mid to late-80's like me & you had cable... you probably were a big Nickelodeon fan. I'm curious how many of you out there liked the TV show "David the Gnome"? I had a flash back of being around the age of 5, all curled up on the couch with my mom, watching the show that would eventually be subdued by an afternoon nap. All while it was raining, of course. I wonder what I would think of it, if I watched it today. My mom sure loved it. And I'm pretty sure today I'm the same age as she was then.

Very soon I will be making my first roadtrip of the season out to the coast. And absolutely NO Mr. Rain! You are sooo not invited. Sun? absolutely!

Speaking of roadtrips, remember when I posted on here about my drive out to Mount St Helens? Oh... back in the Spring of last year? Well here's the post if you would like to read it. With all this H20 jibber-jabber, here are some earrings that I crafted. With Clearwater Lake on the brain, I named them...

"That time my toes met the shoreline"

:: View in Etsy Shop ::

I adore these faceted glass beads. They're awesome! See how their colors, teal & amber, blend together? It's especially cool how they hit the light. I really wish I had more of them. Yes, unfortunately I only will be able to make a few more. I guess you can say they are limited edition. He he.

Well you nice folks have an excellent weekend! I will leave you with a sketchbook drawing from yesterday. Enjoy!

Maybe see ya on Monday!

Standard Movement Series Pendants

It's Friday and you know what that means... new arrivals in the ATeaLeaf Etsy shop! And I have a special surprise for you all. You can now choose the artworks you would like for your wearable. It gets a little bit sweeter too: not just one side, but two!

Standard Movement Series Pendants

Choose your favorite front and back and I will personally custom make your new necklace!

Head on over to my Etsy shop and get the ball rollin'. Hope you all have a long and lazy weekend lovelies!

New Work: 00015 - False Lily of the Valley

It's Saturday and I'm still trying to get caught up with posting last weekend's creations. Whew.May I present to you... 00015 of Standard Movement Series.

00015 of Standard Movement – 5" x 7"  – purchase print

I even think it's the best piece I've made thus far.

Within this mint green frame are a variety of items, including pages from a vintage accountant workbook and pocket dictionary, an elementary report card dated 1953, a black & white class photograph. Something new this time around... I incorporated a lace tablecloth, cutting it into honeycomb shapes. I've been meaning to incorporate textiles for the longest time, and alas it finally has been done.

Within coffee rings, I drew a plant, False Lily of the Valley that I discovered while hiking near Indian Beach. Scientific name: Maianthemum dilatatum is an aggressive groundcover for moist shade, which was very apparent... I saw heart-shaped leaves & berries in the shadows everywhere on the hike. I read up a little bit on the berries... "they can be used as food, although they are not especially tasty. Other aboriginal uses of the plant include the treatment of cuts, sore eyes, internal injuries and sterility."

In a future work I would like to illustrate the blooming stage of the star shaped flowers, pictured above. The stamens remind me of snails' tentacles.

I have 00015 prints available in my Etsy shop for 16 dollars each. http://www.atealeaf.etsy.com Each print will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend!

Savory drawing

Savory!

"An herb of the mint family, savory has tiny leaves which, when dried, have a warm aromatic flavor and make an excellent sauce for string beans. Savory can be used alone or with other herbs to flavor meats, chicken, eggs, salads, sauces, and meat dressings."

Savory – print – Click here or illustration above to purchase & more info

I will be selling 8″ x 10″ prints of the original digital artwork in my Etsy shop for only $10.00! It will be signed, numbered (in a limited edition of 30), and shipped in a sturdy bendproof mailer.

Hope you have a super weekend!

New lampshade

One of my best friends passed this lampshade down to me. Isn't it wonderful? I just had to share it with you. I love how the embroidered leaves overlap one another. I think it works perfect in my living room... though I'm no interior decorator.

I thought I would share a random happy decorating discovery. So, months ago, while I was taking down the Christmas tree, I was brainstorming what I could do with the clear glass ornaments that I had filled with moss. I was thinking that maybe they would be cool as a necklace but a little bulky. I thought about taking the metal pieces off of them and displaying them in a decorative bowl. Then, I came across these wooden candlesticks that my mother-in-law passed down to me. I was never successful putting candles in them because all the candles I found were slightly too wide in diameter to fit. So what do I discover... if I flip the glass ornaments over they fit snug into the candlesticks. Ta da!